ILOILO CITY—In an attempt to curtail any spike in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Iloilo province this holiday season, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has banned the serving of alcoholic beverage as well as karaoke in public places.
“We have managed our COVID-19 cases well for the past months. We want to keep it that way,” Defensor told members of the Iloilo Provincial Capitol Press Corps.
In his executive order, Defensor stipulated the ban in public places, including restaurants, food stalls, and open public places in the 42 towns and component city of Passi.
Defensor likewise prohibited karaoke and videoke revelry in these public places.
Defensor said it was imperative to have these temporary prohibition as many might flock to these areas for family gatherings and reunion among friends as part of the Christmas and New Year celebration.
“Dapat guid mag pa umod guid kita. Kon pwede guid nga indi lang anay mag tililipon (We should let go of what we are used to. If we can, we should avoid large gatherings),” Defensor added.
Under the new executive order, Defensor urged mayors of the local government units and the particular police units to work together in enforcing the temporary prohibition.